will abundantly thank you for one piece of kindness, to put you in mind of beftowing another. The more favourable you are to me, the more diftinctly I fee my faults: Spots and blemishes, you know, are never fo plainly discovered in the brightest funshine. Thus I am mortified by those commendations which were defigned to encourage me: for praise to a young wit, is like rain to a tender flower, if it be moderately bestowed, it chears and revives; but if too lavishly, overcharges and depreffes him. Moft men in years, as they are generally difcouragers of youth, are like old trees, that, being paft bearing themselves, will fuffer no young plants to flourish beneath them: but as if it were not enough to have out-done all your coevals in wit, you will excel them in good-nature too. As for my green effays, if you find any pleasure in them, it must be such as a man naturally takes in observing the first shoots and buddings of a tree which he has raised himself and 'tis impoffible they fhould be esteemed any otherwise, than as we value fruits for being early, which nevertheless are the most infipid, and the worst of the year. In a word, I must blame you for treating me with so much compliment, which is at best but the smoke of friendship. I neither write, nor converse with you, to gain your praise, but your Affection. Be fo much my friend as to appear my enemy, and tell me my faults, if not as a young Man, at least as an unexperienced Writer.

:

I am,

His Paftorals, written at fixteen years of age.

&c.

YOUR

LETTER

IV.

From Mr WYCHERLEY.

March 29. 1705.

OUR letter of the twenty-fifth of March I have received, which was more welcome to me than any thing could be out of the country, tho' it were one's rent due that day; and I can find no fault with it, but that it charges me with want of fincerity, or juftice, for giving you your due; who fhould not let your modesty be so unjust to your merit, as to reject what is due to it, and call that compliment, which is fo fhort of your defert, that it is rather degrading than exalting you. But if compliment be the finoke only of friendship (as you fay) however, you must allow there is no fmoke but there is some fire; and as the facrifice of incenfe offered to the Gods would not have been half so sweet to others, if it had not been for its smoke; fo friendship, like love, cannot be without fome incense, to perfume the name it would praise and immortalize. But fince you fay you do not write to me to gain my praise, but my affection, pray how is it poffible to have the one without the other? we must admire before we love. You affirm, you would have me fo much your friend as to appear your enemy, and find out your faults rather than your perfections; but (my friend) that would be fo hard to do, that I, who love no difficulties, can't be perfuaded to it. Besides, the vanity of a fcribler is fuch, that he will never part with his own judgment to gratify another's; especially when he must take pains to do it:

and though I am proud to be of your opinion, when you talk of any thing or man but yourself, I cannot fuffer you to murder your fame with your own hand, without oppofing you; efpecially when you fay your laft letter is the worst (fince the longeft) you have favoured me with; which I therefore think the belt, as the longest life (if a good one) is the beft; as it yields the more variety, and is the more exemplary; as a chearful fummer's day, though longer than a dull one in the winter, is lefs tedious and more entertaining. Therefore, let but your friendship be like your letter, as lafting as it is agreeable, and it can never be tedious, but more acceptable and obliging

Have received yours of the 5th, wherein your modefty refufes the juft praifes I give you, by which you lay claim to more, as a Bifhop gains his bifhopric by faying he will not epifcopate; but I must confefs, whilft I displease you by commending you, I please myself: just as incenfe is sweeter to the offerer than the deity to whom it is offered, by his being fo much above it: For indeed every man partakes of the praise he gives, when it is fo juftly given.

As to my inquiry after your intrigues with the Mufes, you may allow me to make it, fince no old man can give fo young, fo great, and able a favourite of theirs, VOL. V.

B

jealoufy. I am, in my inquiry, like old Sir Bernard Gafcoign, who used to say, that when he was grown too old to have his vifits admitted alone by the ladies, he always took along with him a young man to ensure his welcome to them; for had he come alone, he had been rejected, only because his vifits were not fcandalous, to them. So I am (like an old rook, who is ruined by gaming) forced to live on the good fortune of the pushing young men, whose fancies are fo vigorous that they enfure their fuccefs in their adventures with the Mufes, by their ftrength of imagination.

Your papers are fafe in my cuftody (you may be fure) from any one's theft but my own; for 'tis as dangerous to truft a fcribler with your wit, as a gamefter with the cuftody of your money.-If you happen to come to town, you will make it more difficult for me to leave it, who am

I

LETTER VI.

Your, &c.

April 30. 1705.

Cannot contend with you: You must give me leave

at once to wave all your compliments, and to collect only this in general from them, that your defign is to encourage me. But I separate from all the rest that paragraph or two, in which you make me fo warm an offer of your friendship. Were I poffeffed of that, it would put an end to all those speeches with which you now make me blufh; and change them to wholfome advices, and free fentiments, which might

make me wiser and happier. I know 'tis the general opinion, that friendship is beft contracted betwixt perfons of equal age, but I have fo much interest to be of another mind, that you must pardon me if I cannot forbear telling you a few notions of mine, in oppofition to that opinion.

In the first place, 'tis obfervable, that the love we bear to our friends, is generally caused by our finding the fame difpofitions in them, which we feel in ourfelves. This is but felf-love at the bottom: whereas, the affection betwixt people of different ages cannot well be fo, the inclinations of fuch being commonly various. The friendship of two young men, is often occafioned by love of pleasure or voluptuoufnefs, each. being defirous for his own fake of one to affift or en courage him in the courses he purfues; as that of two old men is frequently on the score of fome profit, lucre, on design upon others. Now, as a young man, who is less acquainted with the ways of the world, has in all probability lefs of intereft; and an old man, who may be weary of himself, has, or fhould have lefs of felf-love; fo the friendship between them is the more likely to be true, and unmixed with too much selfregard. One may add to this, that fuch a friendship is of greater ufe and advantage to both; for the old man will grow gay and agreeable, to please the young one; and the young man more discreet and prudent by the help of the old one; fo it may prove a cure of those epidemical diseases of age and youth, fourness and madness. I hope you will not need many arguments to convince you of the poffibility of this; one alone